Electrathon America Forum

Nick Gupta · Nick Gupta

Over the past few years, I have seen some cars that have thumb or or foot throttles, while others have a dial in, where you can just turn the tile to the speed you desire, and leave it at that speed for the duration of the race - almost like a cruise control. Just wondering anyone thought one type of throlle (...

Nick Gupta · Nick Gupta

About how many amps do cars end up drawing from the batteries by the end of the race? I have heard numbers that are about 40 amps in the hour. It will probably depend on the course and obviously will depend on the gearing, but I was just trying to get a sense of the amp draw capabilities of the Optima Red and Ye...

Nick Gupta · Nick Gupta

I have heard of techniques used to heat battaries while charing to raise their capactiy. What are some effective methods for heating batteries? Are these putting the batteries at risk? How much of a difference does heating make on the overall performance of the vehicle? Please detail any methods y...

mhodgertt · mhodgertt

Hi all, I have heard that there is a car in Florida that is running 48 volts and an AC system that is winning all of his races by 4 to 10 laps. I know that most street cars are now AC because they are far more effecient. Does AC make that much difference in other electrathon cars out there? There have been se...

Stevie G · Stevie G

Hey there gang, do any of you have a good lesson plan for understanding motor curves or programming the controller? We have most of the parts to make this thing happen, and I just want to be sure to get the kids the best info possible. Thanks!

Nicholas · Nicholas

Hey I am Nicholas Hardisty from CHS and I built a car last year along with my team, so this year I wanted to try something different. I was wondering if any one has tried doing a multi gearing system like a bicycle or an automatic car? If so what did you find that worked or did not work? If you havent I would st...

Nick Gupta · Nick Gupta

I am looking to buy a new motor. Any recomendations and justification for these recommendations? Don't worry about price when considering this! Thanks a lot!

Stevie G · Stevie G

Are any of you running a 0-5V throttle? Are there benefits? I just got my Kelly controller, and the supplied diagram shows a three wire 0-5 V throttle with a note in italics on how to wire a two wire 0-5K pot throttle. I have the 0-5K pot. I'm just curious what you all are running.

john pappas · john pappas

From what I have heard, if you are over 18, you can use better, more powerful batteries such as lithium ion. I would be very happy if someone to confirm this. Also, I was just wondering how dangerous it would be to use batteries like these? Would they cost too much to even think about using? Thanks,...

Vic556 · Vic556

We just started our season last month and today was our second race. We have a half dozen Yellow Tops for our two cars along with some red tops. The yellows are al less than a month old and two are new last week. Today we had both cars have a battery go dead part way into the race. They wouldn't read amps and bo...

Wore · Wore

Okay I will just keep this simple, what motor should I get for my teams first car that will be competitive but in a reasonable buget? Thanks, Wore

mhodgertt · Anonymous

I'm seeing a lot of conflicting information on which batteries should work best. I am going to buy two new sets this year and am leaning towards the yellows (recommended by Optima for both performance and longevity), but have seen some conflicting information and don't want to 'waste' 800 bucks. W...

arcflash · arcflash

http://www.amazon.com/Exide-Orbital-ORB75DT-108-Automotive-Battery/dp/B0009H516C/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&...

bd64 · bd64

How about this to wake-up discission. My students never used meters during a race. After being properly schooled in the use of "The Force" they never need them.

Ryan Fauser · Ryan Fauser

Ive been working on the electrical system for awhile and im confused in a few parts. One of my main questions is what parts are needed. i know im going to a controller, kill switch, and fuse, but Im very much baffeled. This is my first car and any help is accepted.

radigan · radigan

Does anyone have a wiring diagram for a 1207A Curtis Controller. There are 16 pins and that is way too many possibilities and ways to smoke it. Any help would be appreciated.

Zaine Stapleton · Zaine Stapleton

I've never really looked at what people are using for battery chargers. I'm using a couple different chargers, and will hopefully be able to narrow it down to two or three chargers if possible. Input is welcome, thanks. Zaine Stapleton

jakeb2011 · jakeb2011

Hi, im a junior at Greenville Highschool in Michigan. We picked back up our electric car program in 2004 and all of our equipment is from the mid 90's. We run in a knockoff of Eletrathon America for Michigan called NECA. The only differnce is classes. Open class is just that, open to all designs. We're in...

illusoryJourneyman · illusoryJourneyman

All right, I'm an utter newb at electronics, but I volunteered to be the electric guy for my team anyway. So I kind of get the gist of the diagram I've been given but I don't really know what a KSI Interlocks is (it says that outside of a dotted-line box around the keyswitch) nor do I know 6AMP Diode Reverse P...

Pomodori Corsa · Pomodori Corsa

I'd like to use ultracapacitors for capturing regenerative braking energy and then assist the main battery pack under acceleration. The best ultracapacitors are not very energy dense, so they wouldn't work well for a main battery pack. However, they have very low internal resistance and can t...

Zaine Stapleton · Zaine Stapleton

What all does everyone use for controllers? In my car #59, I use an Alltrax AXE 4834P controller. Its great to program it to put out different voltages, amps, and throttle types too.

jakeb2011 · jakeb2011

i haven't ever saw anyone except for us that use belts to transfer the power to the rear wheel/wheels. We haven't had big problems either except a careless mistake of not checking the tension before a race. I cant see us switching cause of all the pulleys we have made but what do you guys think and is there...

spacegy4 · spacegy4

Hello. We have a conventional electrical system with a Batman and were wondering what would make sense to do to test it for reliability and functionality once we get it assembled. Also if anyone would have any suggestions on what materials should be used to build a battery test board (light bulb board...

Kyle Keenan · Kyle Keenan

Just thought it would be a neat idea to list good places online and local to purchase items like the following: Batteries- Motors- Controllers- Wiring- Throttle components- I know for a start-up team like ours, a good majority of the "headache" of our build was locating the right place to...

bd64 · bd64

Do Not go and recycle your Red Top batteries if you voted NO to the rule change. If you voted YES then by all means buy two pair or more for each vehicle you own. Here is part of a post I made on the Nebraska discussion board. http://nebraskapowerdrive.proboards.com/index.cgi In the past, I have had fi...

Kyle Keenan · Kyle Keenan

We are looking to move towards the Briggs E-Tek motors and are curious as to what gear ratios are really common when using a 20" rear wheel/tire. I have a source to purchase the gears and chain, however, the E-Tek requires a MUCH different gear ratio then our current motor if I remember correctly....

electrathon · Nathan McCaw

Has anyone tried running with the new electric motor? If so is there a big difference than the e-tec motor that everyone is using?

Vic · Vic

Will the addition of a large capacitor to the battery pack be a violation of the battery weight rule? Its not an additional battery but it uses battery power. On a road course it could be an advantage but not so much on a fast closed track where you are at max throttle for most of the race. Vic

Topic		Started By	Replies	Views	Last Post
	Throttle Type (Preview) Over the past few years, I have seen some cars that have thumb or or foot throttles, while others have a dial in, where you can just turn the tile to the speed you desire, and leave it at that speed for the duration of the race - almost like a cruise control. Just wondering anyone thought one type of throlle (...	Nick Gupta	2	1037	Dec 16, 2012 by ProEV
	Amp Draw? (Preview) About how many amps do cars end up drawing from the batteries by the end of the race? I have heard numbers that are about 40 amps in the hour. It will probably depend on the course and obviously will depend on the gearing, but I was just trying to get a sense of the amp draw capabilities of the Optima Red and Ye...	Nick Gupta	5	1226	Nov 26, 2012 by Zaine Stapleton
	Battery Heating (Preview) I have heard of techniques used to heat battaries while charing to raise their capactiy. What are some effective methods for heating batteries? Are these putting the batteries at risk? How much of a difference does heating make on the overall performance of the vehicle? Please detail any methods y...	Nick Gupta	4	1168	Nov 9, 2012 by Zaine Stapleton
	AC and DC CARS (Preview) Hi all, I have heard that there is a car in Florida that is running 48 volts and an AC system that is winning all of his races by 4 to 10 laps. I know that most street cars are now AC because they are far more effecient. Does AC make that much difference in other electrathon cars out there? There have been se...	mhodgertt	7	1873	Oct 13, 2012 by meangreen
	Lesson plans...? (Preview) Hey there gang, do any of you have a good lesson plan for understanding motor curves or programming the controller? We have most of the parts to make this thing happen, and I just want to be sure to get the kids the best info possible. Thanks!	Stevie G	2	1235	Oct 7, 2012 by dmorgan
	New way of gearing (Preview) Hey I am Nicholas Hardisty from CHS and I built a car last year along with my team, so this year I wanted to try something different. I was wondering if any one has tried doing a multi gearing system like a bicycle or an automatic car? If so what did you find that worked or did not work? If you havent I would st...	Nicholas	3	1463	Oct 2, 2012 by meangreen
	Recommended Motor (Preview) I am looking to buy a new motor. Any recomendations and justification for these recommendations? Don't worry about price when considering this! Thanks a lot!	Nick Gupta	4	1377	Jul 10, 2012 by Zaine Stapleton
	0-5V vs 0-5K ohm throttles (Preview) Are any of you running a 0-5V throttle? Are there benefits? I just got my Kelly controller, and the supplied diagram shows a three wire 0-5 V throttle with a note in italics on how to wire a two wire 0-5K pot throttle. I have the 0-5K pot. I'm just curious what you all are running.	Stevie G	2	1896	Jul 9, 2012 by Vic556
	New Batteries (Preview) From what I have heard, if you are over 18, you can use better, more powerful batteries such as lithium ion. I would be very happy if someone to confirm this. Also, I was just wondering how dangerous it would be to use batteries like these? Would they cost too much to even think about using? Thanks,...	john pappas	15	5737	May 31, 2012 by Zaine Stapleton
	Yellow Tops-Bad Cells (Preview) We just started our season last month and today was our second race. We have a half dozen Yellow Tops for our two cars along with some red tops. The yellows are al less than a month old and two are new last week. Today we had both cars have a battery go dead part way into the race. They wouldn't read amps and bo...	Vic556	2	1412	Oct 26, 2011 by Vic556
	Where to start! (Preview) Okay I will just keep this simple, what motor should I get for my teams first car that will be competitive but in a reasonable buget? Thanks, Wore	Wore	0	1147	Aug 6, 2011 by Wore
	Yellows vs. Reds (Preview) I'm seeing a lot of conflicting information on which batteries should work best. I am going to buy two new sets this year and am leaning towards the yellows (recommended by Optima for both performance and longevity), but have seen some conflicting information and don't want to 'waste' 800 bucks. W...	Anonymous	39	14637	May 5, 2011 by mhodgertt
	Exide Orbital (Preview) http://www.amazon.com/Exide-Orbital-ORB75DT-108-Automotive-Battery/dp/B0009H516C/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&...	arcflash	4	2234	Apr 7, 2011 by Zaine Stapleton
	Meters (Preview) How about this to wake-up discission. My students never used meters during a race. After being properly schooled in the use of "The Force" they never need them.	bd64	8	1776	Jan 27, 2011 by bgilmore
	Confused over system (Preview) Ive been working on the electrical system for awhile and im confused in a few parts. One of my main questions is what parts are needed. i know im going to a controller, kill switch, and fuse, but Im very much baffeled. This is my first car and any help is accepted.	Ryan Fauser	8	1893	Jan 22, 2011 by mhodgertt
	Curtis 1207A (Preview) Does anyone have a wiring diagram for a 1207A Curtis Controller. There are 16 pins and that is way too many possibilities and ways to smoke it. Any help would be appreciated.	radigan	3	2483	Dec 9, 2010 by radigan
	Battery chargers (Preview) I've never really looked at what people are using for battery chargers. I'm using a couple different chargers, and will hopefully be able to narrow it down to two or three chargers if possible. Input is welcome, thanks. Zaine Stapleton	Zaine Stapleton	5	1806	Nov 15, 2010 by Zaine Stapleton
	Motors (Preview) Hi, im a junior at Greenville Highschool in Michigan. We picked back up our electric car program in 2004 and all of our equipment is from the mid 90's. We run in a knockoff of Eletrathon America for Michigan called NECA. The only differnce is classes. Open class is just that, open to all designs. We're in...	jakeb2011	23	3256	Oct 10, 2010 by jakeb2011
	Couple questions (Preview) All right, I'm an utter newb at electronics, but I volunteered to be the electric guy for my team anyway. So I kind of get the gist of the diagram I've been given but I don't really know what a KSI Interlocks is (it says that outside of a dotted-line box around the keyswitch) nor do I know 6AMP Diode Reverse P...	illusoryJourneyman	1	1342	Oct 4, 2010 by Anonymous
	Ultracapacitors (Preview) I'd like to use ultracapacitors for capturing regenerative braking energy and then assist the main battery pack under acceleration. The best ultracapacitors are not very energy dense, so they wouldn't work well for a main battery pack. However, they have very low internal resistance and can t...	Pomodori Corsa	12	2646	Oct 3, 2010 by john Bass
	Types of controllers used in electrathon? (Preview) What all does everyone use for controllers? In my car #59, I use an Alltrax AXE 4834P controller. Its great to program it to put out different voltages, amps, and throttle types too.	Zaine Stapleton	3	1766	Aug 20, 2010 by Orinoco
	Chains vs. Belts (Preview) i haven't ever saw anyone except for us that use belts to transfer the power to the rear wheel/wheels. We haven't had big problems either except a careless mistake of not checking the tension before a race. I cant see us switching cause of all the pulleys we have made but what do you guys think and is there...	jakeb2011	6	4802	Jul 22, 2010 by Orinoco
	Testing electrical system is anyone going to post in this or what? (Preview) Hello. We have a conventional electrical system with a Batman and were wondering what would make sense to do to test it for reliability and functionality once we get it assembled. Also if anyone would have any suggestions on what materials should be used to build a battery test board (light bulb board...	spacegy4	5	3194	Jun 26, 2010 by Kirk Swaney
	The "Where to buy" thread: (Preview) Just thought it would be a neat idea to list good places online and local to purchase items like the following: Batteries- Motors- Controllers- Wiring- Throttle components- I know for a start-up team like ours, a good majority of the "headache" of our build was locating the right place to...	Kyle Keenan	8	2449	Jun 1, 2010 by electrathon
	Batteries (Preview) Do Not go and recycle your Red Top batteries if you voted NO to the rule change. If you voted YES then by all means buy two pair or more for each vehicle you own. Here is part of a post I made on the Nebraska discussion board. http://nebraskapowerdrive.proboards.com/index.cgi In the past, I have had fi...	bd64	21	3100	Mar 18, 2010 by electrathon
	Gearing for Briggs Etek (Preview) We are looking to move towards the Briggs E-Tek motors and are curious as to what gear ratios are really common when using a 20" rear wheel/tire. I have a source to purchase the gears and chain, however, the E-Tek requires a MUCH different gear ratio then our current motor if I remember correctly....	Kyle Keenan	18	3256	Jan 27, 2010 by mhodgertt
	New E-tec motor (Preview) Has anyone tried running with the new electric motor? If so is there a big difference than the e-tec motor that everyone is using?	Nathan McCaw	10	5536	Dec 15, 2009 by electrathon
	Capacitors. Allowed or Not (Preview) Will the addition of a large capacitor to the battery pack be a violation of the battery weight rule? Its not an additional battery but it uses battery power. On a road course it could be an advantage but not so much on a fast closed track where you are at max throttle for most of the race. Vic	Vic	4	1341	Nov 18, 2009 by electrathon
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